Born in Barcelona, Olivia Pérez-Collellmir is a Catalan composer and pianist whose work is rooted in classical tradition and cultural memory, while embracing a bold, contemporary voice. Her music reflects both European and American influences, blending emotional depth with rhythmic vitality into a distinctive compositional language—what composer Osvaldo Golijov has called “a striking and gorgeous distillation of profound lyricism and rhythms that are ferocious and elegant at the same time. It stays in my mind long after hearing it.”

She began studying piano at the age of four and was accepted into the Conservatori Superior de Música de Barcelona at just eight years old, where she completed her formal training and graduated as a classical pianist. Her mentors include Núria Bonells, a principal disciple of Alicia de Larrocha and part of a pianistic lineage tracing back to Granados and Albéniz. She also studied with Antoni Besses (a disciple of Mompou and Messiaen, and a collaborator of Copland and Ginastera) and with Josep Maria Colom at the Hindemith Foundation in Switzerland. Alongside her musical training, she earned a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy, a Master’s degree in Education and Music, and completed doctoral coursework in Philosophy at the University of Barcelona.

After receiving a full scholarship to Berklee College of Music in Boston, Olivia graduated with a dual major in Performance and Professional Music. Her compositional voice was further shaped by studies with Osvaldo Golijov and Marti Epstein, whose mentorships were instrumental in her development. She is currently an Assistant Professor in the Piano and Ensemble Departments at Berklee—the first Catalan, and the first Spanish pianist, ever appointed to the faculty of Berklee College of Music.

Her debut album Olivia, featuring original compositions and orchestrations, received wide critical acclaim—honored as Album of the Week by RNE (Spain’s National Radio), selected as Editor’s Choice by JAZZIZ Magazine, and named Concert of the Week by TV3, Catalonia’s national broadcaster.

Her award-winning compositions Barcelona and Together were premiered at the Berklee Performance Center, and her large-scale production Soundscapes of Spain—which she composed and directed for over 100 musicians from Berklee College of Music and the Boston Conservatory—was staged at the Berklee Performance Center in Boston. In 2023, she served as Music Director for Berklee’s Latin GRAMMY® Tribute to Paco de Lucía, recorded during Latin GRAMMY® Week in Seville, Spain.

Olivia’s work bridges tradition and invention, language and memory—seeking, always, to transform the emotional architecture of time into something that can be heard, shared, and felt.